Changing Your Injury Lens
Did You Know?
The way in which your brain perceives your injury has actual, physiological repercussions!
In fact, the lens that you view your injury through affects everything from the movement patterns you utilize in everyday life to the physical symptoms you experience. Let’s think about other ways in which thoughts and feelings impact us physiologically.
When you are sad or upset, your limbic system (the part of your brain associated with emotional arousal) signals your pons (the brain’s “message station”), which then relays a signal to your lacrimal system......producing tears.
Embarrassment triggers the body’s release of adrenaline, increasing your breathing rate, and causing your pupils to dilate. The blood vessels deep in your muscles dilate, in order to get more oxygen and more energy where it’s needed most, as do those in your face. As they open up, allowing more blood to flow, your cheeks become warmer and redder......causing you to blush.
Pain science research shows us that just as these emotional states have physiological results, the lens you are viewing your injury through can and does influence the way in which your body responds to sensation you experience!
As pain researcher Adriaan Louw succinctly states:
“Tissues tell you what is going on, but the brain makes the decision on what that means.”
So how can you begin to change your brain’s perception of YOUR injury?
Try exploring a few of these questions with your rehab provider, a mental health professional, a trusted friend, or journaling on them independently.
How does my injury history inform the way I interpret the sensation I’m feeling right now, and the way I address that sensation?
What story are other people telling me about my injury?
Have I learned to look at the rest of my world through the lens of your injury?
How has information about my injury potentially impacted me negatively?
How is my pain impacting other aspects of my life?
